Stamp-canceling and postmarking machine.



No. 675,8l4 Patented June 4, mm.

W. P. CHEATHAM. STAMP GANCELING AND POSTMABKING MACHINE.

(Applicafion filed June 19, 1900.)

2 Shoots-Sheet U; H N KW (No Model.)

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Patented June 4, l90l.

W. P. GHEATHAM.

STAMP GANCELING AND POSTMARKING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 19, 1900.) (In Modal.) 2 Sheets-Shout 2.

L 60? 7, C/Msai/Lane/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. CIIEATIIAM, OF \VILLISBURG, KENTUCKY.

STAMP-CANCELING AND POSTMARKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,814, dated June 4, 1901.

Application filed June 19, 1900.

To all whom if; may concern.-

Be it known that I, WiLLIAM P. CHEAT- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Villisburg, in the county of \Vashington and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp- Canceling and Postmarking Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to what I term a stamp-canceling and postmarking machine, which will also be found useful for what is commonly designated transit-work.

One object of my invention is to provide a machine of very simple character, which may as a consequence be very cheaply manufactured and supplied to small offices as well as for work in large cities.

A further object of my invention is to enable a single individual to postmark a large number of letters and at the same time cancel the postage thereon as accurately, though much more expeditiously, than if the work of cancellation were performed by hand, as is now common, especially in small offices.

The preferred construction and combination of parts will be fully set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my postmarking and canceling machine complete. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1. Fig 3 is a central vertical section of Fig. 1, showing a number of letters in position ready to be acted upon by the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the postmarking and canceling roller removed from its bearings. Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows another form of retaining device for the dateline.

In order to conveniently refer to the several parts of my invention and their cooperating accessories, numerals willbe employed, of which 1 designates the base, upon which the framework of my machine is erected, said framework consisting of the standard 2 and the intermediately-disposed standards 3 and 4, which are properly reinforced and strengthened by the parallel outer sections 5, to which the side section 6 is attached, it being under- Serial No. 20,876. (No model.)

stood that the other side section may be omitted, or said side may be only partly inclosed. In the standards 3 and 4 I provide suitable bearings, designed to receive the trunnions or journals '7, carried by the feeding-roller 8, which, as will be seen by Figs. 1 and 3, is mounted in the upper ends of the standards 3 and 4. Disposed slightly below the feeding-roller 8 is the postmarking and canceling roller 9, also provided with journals 10, designed to rest in suitable bearings in the standards 3 and 4. The postmarking-roller, a detail of which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is provided with the removable sections 11 and 12, properly held in place by the screws or bolts 13, by means of which the stamp-canceling ribs 14 are secured in their operative positions, while the removable section 12 and its accompanying bolt is designed to hold the date-line, as indicated by the numeral 15, whereby the name of the post-office and the date of cancellation are placed upon the letter as it passes through the machine.

In order to hold the letter into cooperation with the roller 9, and thus receive the full impress of said roller and the date-line and cancellation, I provide the impression-roller 16, which is yieldingly mounted in suitable bearings 17, provided in the upper end of the auxiliary standard 18, there being one of said standards upon each side of the machine to receive the journals of said guiding-roller. In order to provide means for applying ink to the ribs 14 and the date-lines 15, I provide the inking-roller 19, which is yieldingly held in position by the standard 20, pivoted to the base-section 1 at its lower end.

In order to normally hold the ink-roller 19 into engagement with the postmarking and canceling roller or with the ribs on said roller and date-line thereof, I provide the spring 21, properly attached to the base-section at one end, while the other end is secured to the upper end of the standard 20, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

In order to keep the peripheral face of the feeding or guiding roller 10 free from any ink which may adhere to it through contact with the ribs 14 and the date-lines 15, I provide the blotting or cleansing roller 22, yieldingly mounted in a suitable standard 23, the lower end of which is pivoted to the base 1, said cleansing wheel or roller 22 being held in engagement with the feeding-roller 16 by means of the spring 24. The peripheral faces of the wheels or rollers 19 and 22 are covered with a facing of felt or other absorbent material, as will be readily understood.

The object in yieldingly mounting the impression-roller is to enable said roller to move away from the roller 0 when a letter of unusual thickness is passed between them, it being understood that the ends of the journals upon which the roller 16 is mounted shall be extended sufficiently to connect with the springs 25, whereby said springs will hold the roller 16 normally in engagement with the roller 9, though permitting it to move away from said roller to allow the passage of a letter.

A suitable stub shaft or axle 26 is provided in the standard 27, and upon said axle] mount the driving-wheel 28, which is preferably a sprocket-wheel provided with an operatinghandle 29, by means of which said wheel may be freely turned. The sprocket-wheel 28 is provided with the sprocket-chain 30, which extends into engagement with the sprocketwheel 31, carried by the extended end of the journal 10 of the postmarking-roller 9, and it is obvious that by turning the handle 29 the sprocket-wheels 28 and 31 will be driven by the sprocket-chain 30. On the opposite end of the postmarking roller 9 I mount the sprocket-wheel 32, designed to cooperate by means of the sprocket chain 33 with the sprocket-wheel 34, mounted upon the ex tended end of the axle or journal of the feeding-roller 8. By turning the wheel 28 and properly connecting the sprockets 32 and 34 the rollers 8 and 9 are rotated in sympathy with each other, thereby insuring that the letter will be fed downward into engagement with the rollers 9 and 16, and said letter will receive the impress of the ribs 14 and the date-lines at a time when the stamp is opposite said ribs.

The feeding-roller is provided with a series of gripping-points 35, removablyheldin place by being properly seated in the section or rib 36, which latter is designed to be received by a transverse recess of suitable character provided in the face of the feeding-roller 8, thus permitting said rib to be withdrawn when it may be desired to replace or repair any of the broken points 35 carried thereby.

In order to permit the rib to yieldingly move out of contact with the mail-matter, I prefer to dispose beneath said rib a suitable spring 37 or a suitable bedding formed of some yielding substance, designed to cooperate with a series of points 35, and 1 provide the covering or gripping face 38 of some clinging material, as soft rubber.

In order to provide convenient means for feeding the letters to the feeding-roller, I provide the horizontal or iioor section 39, firmly supported at its outcrend, while its inner end is yieldingly supported or sustained by the spring sections or fingers 40, which latter extend inward nearly in contact with the vertical yielding partition 41, which latter is cut away, as indicated by the numeral 42, at a point where it would otherwise contact with the points carried by the feeding-roller 8. .3y thus cutting away the vertical partition 41 the first of the series of letters 43 is left exposed for contact with the points and with the frictional face orstrap-section 38, it being understood that said frictional face may consist of a single strap section, as shown in Fig. 2, or said strap-section may be extended so that said face will be entirely covered, as preferred. By disposing the letters vertically on end and pressing the same gently against the partition 41 the handle is ready to be operated, which will induce the rotation of the rollers S and 9, causing the former to engage the first or contiguous letter by means of the series of points 35 and the frictional face 38,thereby forcing said letter downward between the vertical partition and the inner end of the floor-section 38, it being understood that the spring-sections are sufficiently pliable to freely move downward, and thereby make room for the letter.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the first letter or the one adjacent to the feeding-roller as being brought downward by the series of points 35, the lower end 44 of the letter being nearly ready to enter between the rollers 9 and 16, and therefore almost in position to receive the impress of the ribs 14 and the date-lines 15, inasmuch as the adjustment of said wheel 0 is properly made with respect to the feeding capacity of the points 35. \Vhen no let ter is between the rollers 9 and 16, the latter is liable to become soiled by the ink upon the ribs 14; but if such should be the case said wheel will be cleansed by contact with the felt covering upon the wheel 22.

The date-line and the ribs 14, it will be understood, may be readily readjusted or changed, and thus transform the machine intoa transit-machine, thereby indicating that the letters have passed through a certain olliee. Any number of points of any desired extent may be provided upon the removable section 36, it being thought that best results will be attained when said points are made of very limited length. Should any damage to the letter arise by the use of said points, they may be wholly dispensed with, as reliance may be placed entirely upon the frictional face or covering 38, as such covering, being of soft clinging rubber, will, it is thought, be amply sufticient to force the letters downward, especially when a gentle pressure is placed upon the bunch of letters in place upon the machine.

15y reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the base-section 1 is provided at a point immediately beneath the rollers 9 and 1G with a suitable opening, as indicated by the numeral 45, through which the postmarked and canceled letters are free to drop into any suitable receptacle. It will be seen that the sevoral parts of my invention are very simple in character and may therefore be very cheaply and expeditiously manufactured and readily assembled in their respective operative positions ready for use. It is thought that my machine will be found desirable in all small offices, inasmuch as it may be provided at a verylimited cost.

In Fig. 6 I have shown another means for holding and adjusting the date-line in position, comprising the preferably-dovetail slot 46, adapted to receive a similarlyshaped block bearing the date-line. If preferred, one of the walls of the dovetail slot may be vertically corrugated, as indicated by the numeral 47, said corrugated Wall being adapted to cooperate with the corrugated spring 48, carried by the removable date-block 49.

Believing that the construction and operation of my improved postmarking and canceling machine have been made fully apparent from the foregoing specification, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, I will dispense with further reference to the details thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a stamp-canceling and postmarking machine, a supporting-floor rigidly secured at its 30 outer end but movable vertically at its inner one, springs placed under said floor, a vertical yielding partition placed at the inner end of the floor and against which the letters are forced, a feeding-roller for feeding the let- 35 ters downward, a roller 9 carrying a removable date-line, an inking-pad placed upon a suitable spring actuated roller, a suitable support for said roller, a springactuated impression-roller adapted to bear against the 0 canceling-roller, and a spring-actuated cleaning-roller mounted upon movable bearings, and which is adapted to bear against the impression-roller, the parts being combined and arranged to operate, substantially as shown 55 

